This 3-D Printed Lampshade Pops Up And Packs Flat

Apartment dwellers, often on the move, will appreciate the easily transportable ZooM lamp.

Lampshades don't box up very well. Luckily, we can now avoid that problem with this 3-D printed lampshade by Dutch designer Michiel Cornelissen Ontwerp—a boon for urbanites on the move. (The last time I moved, I carried my hollow-shaped, space-wasting, easily punctured lampshade by hand.)

Like other flat-packed products, such as this kayak, this bike, and even this astronomically priced table, the ZooM is great for the lease-ending realities of apartment living. Its pentagonal arrangement of interlocked plastic spirals can be 3-D printed flat—making it cheaper to make and easier to ship. Thread a light bulb cord through the center and watch it pop out, like a tent, into a classic lampshade shape.

ZooM is something of a 4-D object, where the fourth dimension is self-assembly. That fluidity is a theme in Ontwerp’s designs—for example, his technique for 3-D printing the hinges on these sunglasses nixes the need for any assembly.